Pubdate: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 Source: Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) Copyright: 2014 The Plain Dealer Contact: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/letter-to-editor/ Website: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/342 Author: Tom Feran DETAILS OF DRUG-TESTING PLAN GET POSITIVE REACTION AT ST. IGNATIUS HIGH SCHOOL CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Students at St. Ignatius High School were not surprised by the drug-testing plan announced in a Tuesday morning assembly, and three juniors interviewed afterward said they liked the plan for its "wellness approach." Mark Raddell, a junior from Wickliffe, said the promise of confidentiality, the advance notice of testing and the commitment to get help for students who test positive for drugs "show the idea behind it wasn't based on punishment. "It gives a chance for kids to clean up, if they need to, which is more based on wellness than trying to find out who it is and punishing them." Kellen Dugan of West Park said, "The message we got was that the school wanted us to live long and successful lives." He said the student body initially greeted the announcement with applause -- though that may have resulted from the expectation of a free day. "Even if it's just to stay clean for the tests," he said, the initiative should make a positive difference for students. John Price of Independence said there had been rumors about some sort of testing, but not about any of the details. "It was stressed as such a wellness program that I think people really believe they're there to help us, not get us in trouble. "I personally think it's a great idea," he said. "Schools sometimes look past (drug use), but it's a problem we need to deal with." "It spans all schools," Mark Raddell said. "It's all over the place. It's not a standout problem (at St. Ignatius), it's something that needs to be combated in people of our generation. We're just on the vanguard, and hopefully other schools will follow." Students were interviewed between classes. They were asked to participate by school officials but were not screened for their views in advance. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt